


Harry Potter and the Legal Definition of a Cat

by Valkyrie98



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Anyways, BAMF Minerva McGonagall, Dogfather Sirius, F/F, F/M, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sirius Black Lives, Sirius Raises Harry, Sort Of, and then reread it in a week and edit it out of shame, anyway have fun, as i post and figure out what im doing lmao, it's my canon now when creators go and get themselves fucking cancelled, no beta we die like men, starts summer after second year
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:35:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28091019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valkyrie98/pseuds/Valkyrie98
Summary: "Well," The man that was a dog and was apparently his godfather stood and clapped his hands together. "This won't do will it, I'm thinking we take out that wall and go from there."Harry stared at him, then at the wall he gestured to."My bedroom wall?" He asked, frowning. "I'm not sure the Dursley's would like that.""Ah, what the don't know won't hurt them." Sirius waved a hand flippantly and winked. Pulling out his wand and rolling up his sleeves. "If we're stuck in this house, we could at least be more comfortable." and with that, he pointed his wand at the wall and went to work.A story about Sirius being more or less on the run but in the prissy rich boy on the run which is at home and not running at all and looking after his godson, hiding from the dursleys, going back to hogwarts as Padfoot only to encounter a certain teacher, neither of which knew the other would be there. Harry never thought having a family, albeit just one person, could be such a handful, he just prays his godfather gets some sense before he rolls his eyes straight out of his head.
Relationships: Sirius Black & Harry Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 3
Kudos: 40





	1. Cats and Dogs

Perched on the sign announcing the street called privet drive was a tabby cat. Nothing would have been unusual about this if not for the phone sat on the stone between its paws, paws which were delicately selecting letters one at a time. One might also see, if they were brave enough to get closer, the strange markings around the cats eyes that looked almost like glasses.

The cats tail flicked irritably, and the delicate typing sped up and seemed more forceful than was perhaps necessary. As the cat looked up again, gazing intently around the suburban neighbourhood, it let out a great sign that would have fooled anyone to thinking a person had just exhaled, not a small tabby. 

Just as the cat turned again to look at the phone, a great, black, shaggy dog came bounding into sight. This seemed to be a queue for the cat, who promptly abandoned the phone and gracefully jumped down off of the stone sign to greet the dog. 

If this was not yet enough peculiar behaviour for the cat, one might even notice that the phone with which the cat was staring so intently had disappeared as the cat leapt. 

Usually, such a large dog approaching boisterously towards a slender cat would cause either a screeching and fleeing cat, or a wounded and fleeing dog. However, in yet another display of abnormality, the dog skidded to a halt in front of the cat and gave her a huge doggy grin and leaned in to place a slobbery kiss that would have left half her fur sticking up if she had no deftly side stepped the attempt, leaving the great canine to lick the stone sign instead. 

Turning great doggy eyes to the cat, he shook himself and plopped down in front the cat, lowering his head to lay in his paws as he stared intently at the cat. She flicked her tail in annoyance, but her eyes sparkled as she gazed at the dog. Then abruptly, she shook herself and turned to begin trotting down the street, the dog scrambling after her. They walked side by side, the cat clearly leading them, down into the street proper to number 4. 

The tabby leapt to sit of the low brick fence surrounding the property, the dog sat, so large that he was still taller than the cat even sitting on the fence. Together they sat and waited.

...

Sometime later, neither dog nor cat could have told you how long of course, they do not experience the passage of time as you or I do, a car turned the corner for privet drive and pulled into the driveway of number 4.

A large man heaved himself out of the driver’s side and ambled around to open the door for his wife. A slight but severe looking woman emerged and they both walked arm in arm towards the front door. As the passed the unusual animal companions, the husband waved at hand the them.

“Shoo! Off you go you mutt!”

The dog regarded him with eyes that somehow betrayed complete and utter disdain and boredom at his antics and placed his great head down onto the fence, continue to stare as if to challenge the man. 

Evidently thinking himself above accepting a challenge from a dog, although privately doubting this was a fight he would win, he turned in a huff towards the car.

“Hurry up boy, we won’t wait out here all night!” 

Satisfied that he could at least order around someone, he turned again and met his wife at the door, holding it for her to enter before following her inside, leaving the boy by the car to continue to struggle at the car. 

Cat and dog both looked at the car and the boy who was currently wrestling with a large trunk, cage and broomstick, trying to get them out of the cars boot and drag them towards the house. 

Unaware of the sudden attention turned on him, the boy finally managed to lever the trunk out of the boot to fall to the floor next to the cage and broom. The cage let out an indignant hoot at the close trunk that slammed down right next to it, or rather one would suppose, the brilliantly white snowy owl occupying the cage let out an indignant hoot. 

“I know, I’m sorry.” The boy muttered to the owl, closing the boot and hefting the trunk up again onto its wheels and picking up the cage, juggling a bit to grab the broom as well before setting off to the door. 

As he turned his head passing the fence he froze, first at the huge black dog that was now grinning at him, tongue flopping out and looking so familiar his brain short circuited, madly scrambling trying to figure out why the dog seemed to know him, and more importantly, why he felt he knew the dog. Tearing his eyes from the great canine though, he saw the cat perched on the brick next to it, an awfully familiar cat. This time he did know why the animal was so familiar, though it did take a few moments before his brain caught up with him. 

“Professor McGonagall?” He exclaimed, almost dropping him haul.

The cat stared at him and inclined her head slowly, then motioned towards the door with a paw. The boy understood and glanced hesitantly towards the house. 

“Uh, I don’t think my aunt and uncle would let me bring a cat in the house professor, let me go and check if they’re waiting for me and I’ll come right back.” 

The cat that was indeed the boy’s school teacher, again inclined her head and sat patiently as the boy hurried inside, hurriedly dumping his things upstairs in his room before flying back down the stairs to see where his relative were sitting. Thankfully they had decided today was an ignoring day rather than a commanding day and were sitting in the living room, backs to both him and the door that still lay ajar. 

Seeing this the boy went back outside and beckoned in the animals waiting patiently, holding a finger to his mouth and ushering them inside and up the stairs to his room, closing the front door behind them. 

One safely out of sight and sound from the troublesome relatives, the boy turned to the cat. 

“Professor, why are you here?” 

Looking around to ensure they were alone and hidden, the cat looked at the boy and, within a second, had transformed into a tall woman, as severe looking as the boys aunt but with a softness to her eyes and kindness in her features that made her somehow more approachable and motherly than the other women. 

“Potter, I apologise for the secrecy, I am not strictly meant to be here, let alone with him.” She gestured to the dog who had made himself comfortable on the boys bed, looking intently at the pair.

“Who is he?” 

“It is a long story,” she sighed, and her shoulders dropped. “There is much you must know Harry, much that has been hidden from you for reasons I myself have questioned. I have decided it is time for you to know and I also could not bear to send you back to this horrid place alone again this year, after you first year was bad enough but after all you have been through these last two years, you deserve more than what you have received.”

Harry stared open mouthed at her, he had never seen her so impassioned on his behalf, he had never seen anyone so impassioned on his behalf.

“I- Professor, what do you mean?”

“Sit down Harry, I’m afraid it is a long story, and long overdue.” 

She waved her wand and two plush looked chairs appeared in the small room. She gestured one to Harry who sat, not taking his eyes off of her. 

She sighed as she lowered herself into her own chair.

“It is time you know about your godfather Harry.”


	2. Privet Drives Next Top Renovator

“My what?” Harry blurted, staring slack jawed at Professor McGonagall. 

“Yes Harry, your godfather.” She replied, a small smile on her face. She then proceeded to tell him about the events of just under 12 years beforehand. How there was a secret and a secret keeper and a betrayal. The conviction without trial, the escape, the hunt. 

When she finished Harry’s expression had only grown more shocked and more animated. By the end he was gaping not at McGonagall, but at the dog on the bed. 

“You mean…?” Harry began, trailing off and gesturing to the dog he had been staring at as soon as McGonagall had explained how she discovered the marauders had become secret animagi. 

“Yes Harry, that’s him, he needs somewhere to lay low, and you need someone to take better care or you, or at the very least keep you entertained I’m sure. Sirius, if you would?”

In the same manner a cat could turn into a professor, a dog can turn into an escaped convict. Before Harry could even blink, there was a man sitting on his bed where the dog had been lounging. He definitely looked like an escaped convict, but one who had been away for long enough to shower and tidy up. He still had the gaunt look of someone not fed well for years on end and his eyes were not quite all there. The grin that split his face did not quite meet his eyes fully, the distance made itself prominent no matter how hard it seemed he was trying to banish it, if only for the sake of the godson in front of him. His clothes were casual for wizards, no robe but he was dressed in a suit, complete with an (undone) waist coat. Harry didn’t know how he managed to make a 3-piece suit look like casual street wear but he did, even if he could tell the suit must have been from before the long years away.

"Well," The man that was a dog and a convicted murder but also innocent and was apparently his godfather stood and clapped his hands together. “Sorry it took me so long to come get you Harry, I was hoping I could crash here actually.”

Harry was stunned into silence. Looking between the adults and struggling to figure out why they both seemed to be waiting on him and his opinion.

“I- um, that is, yeah, yeah I suppose but there’s really not much room, and I don’t think the Dursley’s would-“

“They won’t be exactly, informed of this development Mr Potter.” McGonagall interjected. “Sirius has proposed some alterations to you’re living space to which I have agreed to and lend my assist with. But this is all up to you Harry, this is a lot for a young boy such as yourself to take in so quickly and both Mr Black and I would understand completely if you were not comfortable with the arrangement.”

Harry continued to stare at them both, then at Sirius alone. Was this what he wanted? To share a bedroom with a newly escaped convict. But the man knew his parents, he was his fathers best friend. Looking closer he could almost see a shadow of the man from the wedding photo’s in the album Hagrid had gifted him in his first year in him. If Professor McGonagall approved it was probably a good idea, but he couldn’t see it being anything but awkward in the small space available that was baring hosting the 3 of them for a conversation. 

“What are the arrangements Professor?” He asked, trying to get a fuller picture of what it would entail. 

“Well, we would of course have to alter this room, I was thinking an undetectable extension charm. A complex piece of magic to install on such a large scale but I’m sure myself and Sirius can manage it. We would of course make Sirius his own room, a bathroom of course, a kitchen, maybe even a small study if we can manage it.”

For what felt like the millionth time in the last half hour, Harry just stared at the adults in front of him. They would be making essentially another small house within his room. It would be like living alone with Sirius, aside from the chores for the Dursley’s and making enough appearances to keep them from getting suspicious. But he wouldn’t have to live-live with them for the whole summer, he could live with his godfather. The though filled him with a warmth he didn’t think he’d felt since he was very young. 

“Wait!” Harry exclaimed as the feeling spread through him. “That’s why you look so familiar! I used to play with you right? As a dog?” He asked, looking at Sirius. 

Some of the distance in his eyes retreated as Sirius looked at him, grinning even wider as his godson remembered him, even if it was just his animagus form. 

“Yeah, you and Padfoot were best friends, used to get mad when I’d turn back to use my hands or leave.”

“Padfoot?”

“Yeah, we all had names, gave them to each other after we changed, Moony had his first naturally, since we found out about his furry little problem.”

“My dad?”

“Yep, he was Prongs, his animagus was a stag, then there was Peter,” he spat the name as if it tasted foul in his mouth. “But we’ve told you about him, a rat, should have seen it coming really, the bastard. He was Wormtail. We were the Marauders.” He said the last sentence with an air of pride and nostalgia, the far away look in his eyes intensifying as he stared above Harry’s head, getting lost in the memory of his friends. 

Harry looked at him, then at Professor McGonagall, who had a small smile on her face at the sight of the interaction between them. 

“Yeah, yeah ok, I’ll do it.”

For the first time it seemed as if Harry was the one to take the other by surprise. 

“Wait, really?” Sirius asked, trying desperately to not let the hope threatening to overwhelm him. 

“Yeah.” He confirmed, sharing a grin with Sirius. 

Professor McGonagall smiled approvingly at him. “Wonderful Mr Potter, Sirius, shall we begin?”

"Oh yeah, this won't do will it, I'm thinking we take out that wall and go from there."

Harry stared at him, then at the wall he gestured to. 

"Take out the wall?” He asked, frowning. "I'm not sure the Dursley's would like that."

"Ah, what they don't know won't hurt them." Sirius waved a hand flippantly and winked. Pulling out his wand and rolling up his sleeves. "If we're stuck in this house, we could at least be more comfortable." and with that, he pointed his wand at the wall and went to work with McGonagall creating a whole new living space out of Harry’s left bedroom wall.

**Author's Note:**

> well then,,,,,, I'm back on my bullshit,,,,,,, considering my works history I'm starting to think I have a thing with substitute father figures,,,,, don't @me motherfucker


End file.
